Indianapolis, IN Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Sec. 536-801(a) lists eight articles of the Indiana Administrative Code that Indianapolis adopts wholesale, including Article 13 (Building Codes), Article 14 (Residential Code), Article 16 (Plumbing Codes), Article 17 (Electrical Code), Article 18 (Mechanical Code), Article 19 (Energy Conservation Code), Article 20 (Swimming Pool Code) and Article 22 (Fire Code); later amendments published in the Indiana Register are automatically incorporated. For plumbing work specifically, that means every fixture installation, repair or new connection is governed by the state's Article 16 rules, not a locally written plumbing chapter.

Copies of the adopted rules are kept on file at the Division of Construction and Business Services under Sec. 536-801(b). Before a plumber can start, a building permit covering the plumbing activity must be obtained under Sec. 536-201 and the permit fee schedule in Sec. 536-604, with actual dollar amounts set out in Sec. 131-501; that fee applies whether the work is a new fixture in an addition, an alteration or repair, a reconnection after a structure is moved, or a water heater swap. If a plumbing contractor or homeowner disputes how the state code was applied, Sec.

536-801(c) sends the appeal first to the director of the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services, then to the state Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission under IC 22-13-2-7. A variance from any adopted rule, including the plumbing rules, can be granted only by that state commission under IC 22-13-2-11, not by a city official. Permits obtained under this framework can be revoked under Sec. 536-704 for false statements or noncompliance, and unpermitted plumbing work in progress can be stopped under Sec. 536-705.